By Pastor Andrew Farland
Would you hug a cactus?
Of course not!
There are times, though, when that’s exactly what we seem to be doing. We embrace difficulty, fear and negativity, thorny stickers and all. The last thing we want to do when hard times come our way is to welcome their arrival with open arms.
We despise pain and suffering. We can’t see a way out. It feels like the walls are all caving in, and we ask God to take it all away. But the Bible teaches us that we can welcome these trials with joy because with God every trial has a purpose and a promise. The purpose of trials as stated in James 1:2-4 is the growing our endurance and for our maturity.
The promise of trials as stated in James 5:10-11 is that if we patiently endure God will be kind to us full of tenderness and mercy and will help us see it.
Today if you are going through a trial I want you to know this:
If God allows you to go through it, He promises to get you through it. When you come out on the other side you’ll also be upgraded. If you are a Christian, trials aren’t happening to you; they are happening for you!
Once Job endured his 15 months of suffering, he lived another 140 years, and God paid him back double for the trouble He had been in. Remember today that your trials won’t last forever. Hold this thought:
This trial is here to grow me, and God will bless me if I continue to endure it!
James 1:2-5
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.”
Be encouraged today because God is with you.
